Aeronautic safety regulations require that aircraft having to fly over the sea must carry dinghy type evacuation slides, which, when the aircraft is obliged to land on the sea, enable the passengers to be evacuated fairly rapidly and, in addition, provide them with a practical floatable means. Such slides are generally mounted on the doors, in order to be used without loss of time when required. When a slide is to be used by the passengers, the crew open the door of the aircraft, simultaneously releasing the slide and actuating appropriate inflation thereof. However, it is obvious that, whilst the passengers are passing from the interior of the aircraft onto the slide, the latter must imperatively remain fastened to the threshold of the door and, when all the passengers have emerged, it must be very easily and rapidly disconnected from said threshold.
Several mechanisms performing these functions have been developed. They comprise, on the one hand, fastening means generally fast with the threshold of the door, for example shoes located on each side of this door and, on the other hand, connection means fast with the slide and adapted to cooperate with the fastening means in order to maintain the slide in place when the passengers climb thereon and, then, to release it from the aircraft very rapidly so that it can move away quickly Among these connection means, the most well-known comprise a principal bar adapted to cooperate with the fastening shoes by so-called setting and latching-unlatching mechanisms and by a second secondary bar connected to the principal bar by a rapid-release mechanism, this secondary bar being connected to the slide, for example, by lashing straps.
These mechanisms give complete satisfaction as to the result for which they are designed. However, it is well known that all manufacturers of means of transport, and more particularly in the domain of aeronautics, seek to reduce weight of the vehicles.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to produce a mechanism for fastening a life-saving device of the simple evacuation slide or dinghy type, whose performance is as high as those of the prior art, if not higher, but which is, in particular, much lighter in that it comprises fewer parts than those of the prior art, whilst being very easy to handle.